


Things Can Change (No Matter How Weird or Wild or Strange)

by Sequesters



Category: LazyTown
Genre: M/M, Sharing a Bed, mentions of Peggý and Edvard from the books shoutout to Latibær í Vandræðum, only rated T for some language in later chapters, slowburn, this is for you indigo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22999714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sequesters/pseuds/Sequesters
Summary: Sportacus accidentally blows up Robbie's house, and offers to let Robbie stay in his airship until his house is rebuilt.He never could have foreseen how much that simple act would change things.
Relationships: Robbie Rotten/Sportacus
Comments: 17
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [indigorose50](https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigorose50/gifts).



> "IT'S STILL HIP TO CREATE FOR LAZYTOWN IN 2020 BC I SAID SO" --Indigo 
> 
> So I was planning this to be Indigo's birthday present (which is really embarrassing if you know when their birthday is), a prequel of sorts to Found in Translation, but it evolved beyond anything I could have predicted and also combined itself with a concept I've been sitting on for years now and now its a Thing, a multichaptered Thing.
> 
> But I'm still gonna write it, because Indigo you fucking deserve it and I adore you and your writing. Enjoy!

Sportacus descended from his ultra-high flip, breathing hard.

The kids were safe, the mayor pulled out from inside his own trash can, that was good.

But that gigantic dynamite stick, accidentally enlarged by Robbie’s newest machine, was still about to go off right in the mayor’s front lawn! So, using a combination of ingenuity and improvisation, he used the fallen basketball hoop’s pole and Stingy’s wagon as a sort of teeter-totter and launched the dynamite stick away from the people of LazyTown!

As it sailed up into the air, arcing towards the outside of town, Sportacus noticed that it was heading right for Robbie’s lair.

Oh no.

Sportacus started to run, but before he even got CLOSE-

BOOM!

The force of the explosion triggered an earthquake, knocking Sportacus to the ground.

A scream came, from the other side of town.

Sportacus got right back up and sprinted even faster.

His crystal would have shown him if there was even any potential of Robbie being hurt, but he still breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him unharmed. Yes, Robbie was just fine, standing and staring in horror at-

Oh.

Directly in front of Robbie was a crater in the ground where his house used to be.

The bottom dropped out of Sportacus’ stomach as he surveyed the damage. Dirt and metal folding over each other, a burst water main spraying everywhere, muddy rivulets tracking down into the hole and disappearing into the earth, and Robbie, whitefaced and wide-eyed, gaping noiselessly at the carnage.

“M-m-m-my HOUSE!!!” Robbie finally screeched, grabbing at his own hair.

There came gasps from behind them, as the kids came to the scene.

“Where am I going to SCHEME?? WHERE am I going to SLEEP?!” Robbie shrieked, completely beside himself.

“You always sleep on the benches in town, Robbie, you can still do that!” piped up Ziggy.

“Be QUIET, little boy! How would YOU feel if YOUR gingerbread house burnt to the ground?” Robbie snapped.

“My house isn’t made of gingerbread,” Ziggy said, confusion apparent on his face, “It’s  _ yellow _ .”

“Could have fooled ME!” Robbie said, turning back to look at the carnage of his own house’s destruction.

Sportacus pursed his lips together. While Robbie had enlarged the dynamite with his own machine, Sportacus was the one who had technically…dealt the final blow, and there was only one thing that his conscience would let him do.

“Robbie Rotten, I feel responsible for this,” Sportacus said, stepping up to him, “My home is not much, but…you are a welcome guest for the time it takes to repair yours.”

“Oh, abso-LUTELY NOT!” Robbie declared, and stalked away.

Sportacus watched him go, a tight ball in his chest. He only wished he could do more.

His crystal flared, and he pulled Ziggy out of the way of a falling boulder almost absentmindedly. Back to normal.

-

It was eight PM, and guilt was eating Sportacus alive as he went through his nightly routine.

He didn’t know what to  _ do _ about Robbie Rotten!

His relationship with Robbie was…complicated. On the surface, they were just another hero and villain, committed to thwarting each other until one of them finally won for good and kicked the other out of town. But Sportacus never WANTED to fight Robbie in the first place! He  _ would _ , in self-defense of course, but he had always held out hope that they could come to some sort of understanding and resolve their clashing ideologies in a more positive way.

And while he was always careful not to get his hopes up too high…for the past year, he had noticed some  _ changes _ in Robbie’s behavior towards him. Mostly little things, like returning his friendly greetings when they passed on the street, or showing up to the kids’ birthday parties with no ulterior motive. Even his schemes were becoming less and less dangerous—a little more harmless disruption of soccer games, a little less exploitation of Sportacus’ severe sugar allergy. Maybe Robbie didn’t really want to fight HIM anymore, either. Maybe, just maybe, they could put aside their differences, start over, and maybe even...get to know each other better.

Sportacus put his head in his hands. God, he had SUCH a huge crush on Robbie.

How could he NOT?! He was attractive! Sure he had done some pretty nasty things to Sportacus in the past, but he was now actively trying to be a better person! This new Robbie Rotten, the one that Sportacus caught correcting Pixel’s physics homework and fixing the LazyTown clock, was a man that Sportacus was REALLY starting to like.

But was he a changed enough man to be trusted as a guest in Sportacus’ home? Last time he was in the airship, over a year ago, he tried to steal and  _ crash _ it.

“What’s done is done,” he told himself stubbornly, throwing his toothbrush back into the hole it came from, “And I will just deal with it as it comes.”

Sportacus sighed, gripping the sink. “IF he even comes at  _ all. _ ”

Knock knock.

Sportacus straightened up, heart beating fast.

“Door!” he called.

The door opened to reveal a VERY disheveled-looking Robbie. Pillow in hand, twigs in his hair, dirt all over his knees, he looked like he was having a FAR worse night than Sportacus was.

“Don’t even ASK, SportaFLOP,” Robbie growled, “I’m only here as a LAST RESORT.”

Sportacus closed his mouth, and swallowed his question.

“I’m glad you came,” he said instead, “It was my fault in the first place, so I’m happy to help.”

“Yes, it WAS your fault,” Robbie grumbled, walking inside. “Now, do NOT lift this thing into the air.”

“Duly noted,” Sportacus said around a yawn, “Bed!”

Sportacus’ bed swiveled out of the wall and slid down, pausing right in front of Robbie and Sportacus.

They turned to look at one another.

“You don’t even…HAVE a guest bed, DO you Sportaspoon?” accused Robbie, crossing his arms.

“I SAID that my home wasn’t much,” Sportacus said sheepishly in response.

Robbie rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m not sleeping on the floor given my  _ myriad _ of body issues.”

“I understand,” Sportacus nodded, “Would you like me to sleep on the floor?”

Robbie looked from him, to the bed, back to him.

“I…” he sighed, “No, no. Can’t have the Hero of LazyTown all twisted up in the morning. Those LazyBrats would never FORGIVE me!”

He let out a small shiver of disgust. “Much as it pains me to say, we’re going to have to SHARE, Sportaloon.”

A few emotions raced through Sportacus at that.

For one, excitement. He hadn’t had a bedmate since he came to the human world, and the prospect of finally HAVING one nearly brought him to tears. Bed-sharing was one of those things that he had always taken for granted when he was among elves, that he sorely missed since coming to the human world. There was simply  _ nothing _ like sharing a bed with friends! He thought back to the nights where he and his two best friends, Peggý and Edvard, would sleep in a tangle of limbs and bodies underneath the stars, one of them trying to wiggle out in the morning without waking the other two, failing miserably, laughing about it…Sportacus’ skin was tingling with excitement at feeling that type of bond again.

But the snag in it all was that Robbie was a human. Sportacus had found out quickly that the humans he encountered rarely shared a bed, and NEVER touched while sharing the bed, unless they were  _ romantic  _ partners. For heaven’s sake, even the innocuous phrase “Sleep together” was a euphemism for  _ sex  _ among them! When he asked why that was, he never got any real answer. He just got The Look that humans usually gave him when he made a cultural faux pas, so he just noted it in his head as a peculiar quirk of human culture and never asked again. Whatever the reason, it did mean that he had to be careful while bed-sharing with Robbie. The LAST thing he wanted was for Robbie to feel like Sportacus had any ulterior motives, so…Sportacus would just have to play by the human rules and keep his hands to himself.

He could do that.

Sportacus slid underneath the duvet and rolled to his side, leaving as much space for Robbie as possible.

The moment his head hit the pillow, even from this awkward sideways angle, he suddenly realized how TIRED he was. It was past 8:08, and it had been a long day, and he was halfway asleep by the time Robbie slid in beside him, settling In with a sigh.

“Now don’t KICK me in the night,” warned Robbie.

Sportacus tried to answer him, make a snappy retort about being kicked out of town, but he was…simply too tired, so he just crossed his arms over his chest and started to drift off.

He was drifting in and out of consciousness when a twig snapped outside.

Robbie let out a sharp gasp and downright LAUNCHED himself forward to wrap his arm around Sportacus’ chest.

“Whatwasthat??” he whispered, clinging ferociously to Sportacus in fear.

“Animal friend,” Sportacus slurred, deliriously trying to comfort him. He patted the quivering hand across his chest. “Go to sleep.”

Too tired to fight it, he let his hand go slack on top of Robbie’s and nuzzled backwards into him.

Robbie’s arm did relax, but strangely, he did not let go. But Sportacus didn’t mind. Maybe this wasn’t even real, maybe he was already dreaming. He’d figure it out in the morning, but for now…he would enjoy the comfort it brought.

-

The first thing he was aware of after that was Robbie shifting slightly.

The second thing he was aware of was a quiet squeak followed by a loud THUMP.

He blinked awake, suddenly feeling colder. “Robbie?”

“I’m down here,” came a sigh from behind him.

Sportacus turned over. In the dim light from the moon and the stars through the window, Sportacus could  _ just _ see the pale outline of Robbie sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him.

“Wha-what happened?”

“I…” Robbie said, sighing again, “I…let go. Of you. And fell off.”

“You were holding on that whole time?” Sportacus asked through a yawn.

“I-I was  _ scared! _ ” Robbie said defensively, “What did you EXPECT me to-“

“No, no, it was…” Sportacus searched for the word he wanted through his sluggish brain, “Nice.”

“Nice??”

“Yes, nice. I…like…touch,” Sportacus elaborated, wincing at his complete lack of eloquence.

Robbie snorted. “Of course you do, Sportatouch. You’re so…touchy-feely, with EVERYONE.”

“Hmm, not really,” he said, a bit deliriously.

“Sportaloon, I have PERSONALLY witnessed you hug, AND or pat, every person in this town after you rescue them!! What are you talking about??”

Sportacus tried to blink his way to full consciousness and propped himself up on his elbow. “I mean like  _ this _ ,” he said, gesturing between them. “You…held onto me as I slept, that is the kind of contact that I  _ crave,  _ that I-that I MISS! It is so  _ common  _ among elves, Robbie, to bed-share with family and friends, but-“ he shrugged one shoulder, “Humans…they don’t TOUCH like this, they don’t share beds like this, and the lack has been…weighing on me.”

“A-are you telling me that elves just-just- _ huddle up _ with WHOEVER at bedtime?!” Robbie asked, gesturing wildly, “And it’s not  _ weird? _ ”

“Why would it be  _ weird?”  _ Sportacus asked, with a tired chuckle, “It’s just how bed-sharing is! I have done it with ALL of my friends, as of now.”

Robbie’s eyes widened. “W-wait. Does that-I mean, do you-“ he stuttered, shaking his head vigorously and trying again, “A-are you saying we’re f-f-f- _ friends _ ?”

Sportacus sobered quick at his slip-up, cursing internally. H e didn’t mean to just...SAY it like that! He flopped down onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, as he thought on how to respond.

“I’d  _ like _ to be,” he spoke quietly, truthfully.

The words hung in the quiet air for a moment, as Robbie considered them.

“Huh,” Robbie said simply, standing laboriously and sitting back down on the bed. He reached his arm out, halfway, but quickly yanked it back. 

“So...you really don’t, uh, mind?” Robbie asked tentatively.

“Far from it,” Sportacus said honestly, sighing, “I prefer it, actually, to sleeping alone.”

“Oh,” said Robbie, flexing his fingers.

So Robbie slipped back underneath the blanket, pausing for only a moment before he gently placed his arm around Sportacus’ chest again.

They slept almost immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Sportacus officially become friends, and learn a little more about each other.

Sportacus woke with the sun, as was his custom.

But his body awoke slowly today, unwilling to rouse from the depth of sleep at anything but its slowest pace. Oh, he was going to be  _ tired _ today, he could already tell, but he’d deal with that later. Right now, though, he was feeling...relaxed. More relaxed than he had been in a very long time, in fact, and that was part of what made him very reluctant to break from that state and join the waking world.

But, in the end, his desire to move always won out over his desire to stay in bed, so he just yawned wide and stretched his arms up, accidentally bumping shoulders with his bedmate as he turned from his side to his back.

But wait. Who WAS his bedmate? Wasn’t he in the human world? Who could he be sharing a bed with out here?

His eyes flew open as he realized.

ROBBIE.

He peeked over at Robbie, who was staring resolutely at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs.

“You’re awake,” Sportacus said in surprise, shifting to face him.

Robbie violently startled at the sound, turning wild eyes on Sportacus for a split second before he relaxed in relief.

“Y-yes,” Robbie said, settling back down under the blanket, “I… _ do  _ that sometimes.”

Sportacus didn’t really know what to say to that, so he let an awkward silence develop between them.

“Ahem, a-about last night,” Robbie said slowly, “Did that actually…happen?”

Sportacus nodded. “Yes, it did.”

Robbie looked down. “Oh.”

Another silence fell between them, as Robbie stared downward in deep concentration. Sportacus had no idea how to interpret that look, what could he possibly be thinking about? Was it his human discomfort over bedsharing? Was he feeling…regretful, and unwilling to hurt Sportacus’ feelings by telling him so?

Sportacus had better give him a way out.

“Robbie, I…” Sportacus began, thinking hard about what he wanted to say, “I  _ understand _ if you, as a human, are…uncomfortable, with bed-sharing. I know what the humans generally think about it, and I just want you to know that we don’t have to-“

“Uncomfortable?” Robbie spat, “Absolutely  _ not _ .”

Sportacus was taken aback. “Wow. Really?”

Robbie nodded, fidgeting with the edge of Sportacus’ white duvet.

“I find it difficult to…sleep…without something in my arms,” he admitted, “Most of the time it’s, heh, it’s Mister Cow. But y-you’ll do.”

Sportacus slumped in relief. “Thank heaven,” he said, pulling his side of the duvet back and swiveling out of bed.

“Going without a proper bedmate for the past few years has been…well it’s been very hard!” Sportacus continued, starting his stretches while he spoke, “I just do not know how you all STAND it, sleeping alone for your whole lives. It’s just so incredibly  _ lonely _ , and unhealthy to boot! Keeping your muscles strong can be done all on your own, of course, but a veeery important part of staying healthy is having positive  _ touch _ , from someone that you care about. And bedsharing is an excellent way to do just that!”

He threw up some experimental high kicks, and kicked into a handstand, looking back at an upside down Robbie.

“Touch starvation…is a hell of a thing,” Robbie simply said, looking down at his hands and flexing his fingers.

“So I am learning,” chuckled Sportacus.

“But that’s not what I was TALKING about, if you wouldn’t  _ mind _ letting me FINISH!” Robbie glared.

“Sorry,” said Sportacus, sheepishly flipping back to his feet to give Robbie his full attention, “Continue.”

Robbie huffed. “You SAID, at FOUR IN THE MORNING, might I add, that  _ you _ would like to be…friends.”

Sportacus blushed. “Yes, that…that was true.”

“With  _ me _ ,” Robbie clarified.

Sportacus laughed. “Who else do you think I was talking to? The wall?!”

Robbie didn’t laugh or scoff at that, his eyes just darted around for a moment before he, too, clambered out of the bed.

He strode purposefully around it and stopped right in front of Sportacus, drawn up to his full height.

“I would like to, uh… _ shake _ on it,” said Robbie, stretching out his hand.

Sportacus eyed the offered hand suspiciously. There was always a pretty good chance that this was a trick, but…the look on Robbie’s face, the fact that he was sweating BULLETS with anxiety, the slight tremor in his hand…it wouldn’t do to keep him waiting.

So Sportacus shrugged, and took it.

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Robbie Rotten,” Sportacus grinned, shaking Robbie’s hand firmly.

“Whatever, Sportafool,” Robbie rolled his eyes.

They stood, continuing to shake hands for a long moment, until Sportacus finally let go.

“So,” he said, eager to change the subject, “What are you going to do now? About your house? Are you going to build a new one?”

He jumped down into a pushup position and started pumping out pushups, ears wide open for Robbie’s response.

Robbie sighed. “Well, SportaACTIVE, I ACTUALLY have insurance.”

Sportacus paused mid-pushup to cock his head at Robbie. “They  _ have _ that?”

“They ha-of COURSE they have that!” exclaimed Robbie, gesticulating wildly, “Having an underground lair is kind of a HAZARD, Sportaloon, I have the BEST insurance money can buy! The only problem is that I can’t CALL them, because my phone is NOW BURIED in the RUBBLE!”

“Oh, I can help with that,” Sportacus said, adding claps to his pushups, “Phone!”

With a ringing noise, Sportacus’ phone shot out of the wall and hit Robbie in the chest.

“OOF! Does EVERYTHING in your house have to-to  _ physically assault  _ you when you use it?!” Robbie complained as he dialed furiously.

“Sorry,” Sportacus said sheepishly.

Robbie let out a few nondescript grumbles as he held the receiver up to his ear, waiting for them to pick up.

In the meantime, Sportacus flipped over and started his situps.

“Hello? Underground house insurance company?” Robbie finally said, no small degree of hope in his voice, “Yes, I am calling about my insurance policy…Robbie Rotten is the name…yes yes full coverage…right! I shall be at the site in  _ five  _ minutes!”

Robbie hung up the phone and let out a WHOO!!

“I KNEW that policy was going to pay off someday!” he cheered, tossing the phone to Sportacus, who threw it back into its compartment.

“ _ Full _ reconstruction,  _ full _ repair, full COMPENSATION!!” Robbie spun with glee, and threw his hands in the air. “I’m gonna be rich, baby! RICH!”

Sportacus tried not to show the sudden  _ feelings  _ that had bloomed over Robbie calling him-

“Baby?”

Robbie froze.

“That was a, uh…GENERAL baby,” he said, “Not like a MILITARY general baby, heh-“ he fumbled around, saluted, and made some approximation of infant noises, “That would not be professional at all! Just an in-general-y-y’know-“

Robbie dropped his hands with a scowl.

“So sue me, Sportacus, I’m not USED to…having an  _ audience  _ for this sort of thing,” he said, tone dropping from aggressive to apologetic as he spoke.

“No, no! On the contrary, I’m glad you’re excited, and have a plan for the way forward. Makes ME feel a lot better,” said Sportacus, nodding, “A-about the whole thing, you know?”

Robbie regarded Sportacus with another look of deep concentration.

Sportacus, feeling a bit scrutinized, began his aerobic jumps.

Aerobics always made him feel at ease, no matter what he was doing. The rhythmic movements, the simple act of counting, the order of the routine--if it were socially acceptable, he would practice his aerobics whenever he felt ill at ease, no question about it.

Plus, it at least got Robbie to look at him with a much more normal look, one of exasperation.

“What are you doing,” he sighed.

“Sports!” Sportacus answered easily, grinning as Robbie rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay, maybe I walked right into that one but that’s-that’s not a  _ sport!” _ Robbie protested, gesturing out at Sportacus’ feet, “What kind of sport is JUMPING, Sporta-SportaJUMP?!”

“It’s aerobics!” Sportacus called, laughing as he switched to outward kicks, touching the tip of his toes to his fingers each time.

“Wh-what-AEROBICS?!” sputtered Robbie, “What is this, the nineteen EIGHTIES? Who still does AEROBICS anymore?!”

“Do you think aerobics is not a cool sport?” Sportacus asked Robbie, a chuckle escaping him in incredulity, “ _ I  _ think you are wrong. It requires amaaazing discipline!”

He held a handstand for a few seconds, just to prove his point.

“Flexibility!” he dropped into the splits.

“Fitness!” he swiveled his hips around in one of his favorite breakdancing moves and jumped up to a handstand.

“Knowledge!” he said, front-handspringing out and landing on the library button, which popped out of the wall.

Robbie yelped and took cover as four books shot through the air by his head straight to Sportacus, who immediately began to juggle with them.

“And, you have to do it with a big smile on your face!” he said, demonstrating just that.

Robbie grimaced in return, taking a few steps backward.

“Also, I once performed in front of ten THOUSAND screaming-“

SLAM.

Robbie had made his escape, and slammed the door behind him.

Sportacus let his books fall to the floor.

“Do you think I overdid it?” he asked the ship.

“Your routine is only 35% complete,” came its robotic voice, “Analysis shows that it would take at least 105% of your routine in order to reach the parameters you set as ‘overdoing it’.”

“Remind me to teach you about rhetorical questions,” Sportacus said.

“Reminder set.”

Sportacus sighed, and tossed the books back into their respective shelves. If he was going to survey LazyTown, it was best to get the ship up off the ground. He started the ship and flew up high, surveying the town for any sign of trouble.

-

It was about 7:30 when Sportacus finally got back up to his ship. 

It had been a very full day. The kids were a joy to be around, and he loved playing with them and teaching them about health and fitness, but their whirlwind of activities had left him fairly drained. He didn’t even get the chance to check on Robbie, who had mysteriously vanished for the day. 

And with nothing else to distract him, Sportacus couldn’t help but think that maybe it was his fault.

He was really kicking himself for going on that rant about aerobics earlier. Many people were put off by his obsession with exercise, he KNEW that already, but he still went and did it anyway. What was he thinking? They were bedsharing, they were  _ talking _ , they had JUST sealed their friendship with a handshake ten minutes prior! This was a dream come true! But then he had to go and literally scare Robbie away, right at this tenuous moment.

Sportacus sighed, feeling the grip of regret in his stomach as he changed out of his dirty uniform. He had no problem admitting that he could be a little bit...much, sometimes, for some people. If he had a nickel for every time someone had told him to “tone it down” in the past...well, he could probably buy Robbie a new house, and he wouldn’t even have to stay with Sportacus in the first place.  _ Would _ he come back, tonight? Would he tolerate Sportacus'...quirks, enough to once again take the offer of a place to stay?

Sportacus didn’t know.

But he landed his airship anyway. Just in case.

When Robbie knocked on the door at 8:00, Sportacus sighed with relief, racing to the door with a grin to open it personally.

“Not scared off by my aerobics?” Sportacus asked, only half-joking.

Robbie glared at him. “I could still turn around, you know.”

“Sorry, sorry,” said Sportacus, stepping back, “I swear, I’ll keep the aerobics to a minimum.”

“If that’s your way of telling me you SLEEPWALK-“ Robbie bristled.

“No, no, I don’t. That was a joke,” Sportacus assured.

Robbie deflated. “Phew.”

He strode into the airship, hitting a button on the wall that popped Sportacus’ sink out, and started to brush his teeth.

“I’m using your sink,” Robbie announced around his toothbrush.

“Fine by me,” Sportacus shrugged, “Make yourself at home.”

He sat up on his pop-out table and watched as Robbie brushed his teeth, trying desperately not to think of how incredibly DOMESTIC this all was.

“So,” Sportacus said, swinging his legs, “How was your day?”

He internally cringed. Failed step one.

“Huh?” Robbie asked, raising an eyebrow, “Why?”

Sportacus shrugged. “Friends like to check up on friends, and I haven’t seen you all day. How did that meeting go, with the insurance company?”

Robbie blinked. “O-oh,” he said quietly, looking down to put his toothbrush away, before looking back up with his usual snarl.

“Well, if you  _ must _ know, it was FRUSTRATING!” Robbie exploded, starting to pace, “They kept saying that they needed PROOF that the house was destroyed, the big hole of DIRT wasn’t enough for them!! They wont lift a FINGER to help me until I can SHOW them the damage to the actual HOUSE, which means I have to move TONS and TONS of DIRT!! I spent all. DAY! Shoveling, and  _ shoveling _ , and my back hurts SO MUCH-"

Sportacus tilted his head. “But why were you shoveling? Don’t you own a, uhm-one of those, large construction equipment pieces-“

Robbie’s mouth dropped open. “That-that’s a BULLDOZER!” he said, affronted, “That would only make it WORSE! I’d need a BACKHOE, or maybe an EXCAVATOR for this current job, and the only person I know who has one of THOSE is-“

Robbie froze suddenly, a smile enveloping his face.

“A guy...who owes me a  _ favor _ ,” he grinned, steepling his fingers together, “Nice suggestion, Sportatractor.”

“Anytime,” shrugged Sportacus, beginning his nighttime stretches.

“Soooo, Sportafriend,” Robbie said, pointing his finger out at Sportacus, “It’s YOUR turn. What were YOU doing today, while I was doing back-breaking labor?!”

“Well, Ziggy got stuck in the tree again, Stephanie got herself tangled in the ladder somehow, and Stingy nearly fell out of the treehouse itself! All within fifteen minutes of each other!” Sportacus shook his head in disbelief, chuckling lightly, “But, I caught them all, so no need to worry.” 

“Ogh, I should have known. Don’t you do anything  _ else _ but babysit those walking disasters?” Robbie grumbled.

“They do keep me quite busy,” Sportacus laughed, “But, we also played some soccer! And we had a REALLY good talk about healthy exercise habits! But while we were talking, Trixie started climbing up the goalposts, and I had to stop her fall with the whole pillow fort that Stingy and Ziggy built.”

Sportacus smiled fondly at the memory. “They were NOT happy about that, let me tell you.”

Robbie didn’t share in his mirth.

“Something’s wrong with those kids,” Robbie said, shaking his head, “Their sense of self-preservation is WAY off.”

“Don’t be rude, Robbie,” Sportacus yawned, feeling the weight of the day bearing down on his consciousness.

Woah, there was the fatigue, rolling over him like an all-consuming wave. It was his body’s first warning to go to sleep, and go to sleep  _ now _ .

And past experience told him, he had better listen.

"Bed!" he called.

Robbie looked from Sportacus, to the bed, to the clock.

“I cannot believe that you ACTUALLY sleep at 8:08, on the dot, every single NIGHT,” Robbie said.

Sportacus yawned. “Of course I do. Have I ever said otherwise?”

“I…I just thought you TOLD the kids that, so that they’d follow your example! Don’t you ever just…stay up late? For fun?” Robbie asked.

“Not if I don’t have to,” Sportacus said, stretching his arms up and out, “I don’t do it for the  _ kids _ . I do it for  _ me. _ ”

Sportacus sat on the bed. “If I don’t follow a strict sleeping schedule every night, it  _ really  _ worsens my narcolepsy.”

Robbie dropped his pillow right on the ground.

“Your WHAT?!” he demanded.

“My narcolepsy?” Sportacus repeated, “You know, the sleeping disorder? That I take medication for?”

“Y-y-YOU have NARCOLEPSY?! B-b-but I’ve never seen you-well, y’know-“

Robbie seized up, then threw himself to the floor in an imitation of sleep.

Sportacus rolled his eyes. “That’s not the kind that I  _ have _ , Robbie,” he said, “Not USUALLY, anyway.  _ That _ only happens to me if I ingest some kind of  _ sugar. _ ”

He stared pointedly at Robbie, who had the decency to look extremely uncomfortable.

“I…I-I didn’t know that,” Robbie said meekly.

Sportacus shrugged. “Narcolepsy simply means that my brain…doesn’t quite wake up all the way, without help,” he explained, “It means I can…easily become fatigued, and there is nothing I can do to solve it, outside of extra sleep.”

Robbie sat up on his elbows, and fixed Sportacus with a look of concern.

“ _ Nothing? _ ” he repeated softly. 

That look, coming from ROBBIE of all people, made Sportacus’ skin crawl.

“Don’t worry,” Sportacus assured with a smile, “I have been managing it very well, with diet and medication, for the past several years. And so far, it has not stopped me from living a VERY active life!”

He did a simple backflip to prove it, sliding in his socks a bit on the landing.

“Well THAT’S obvious,” grumbled Robbie, finally climbing back up off the floor.

Sportacus yawned. “But part of that management, is going to sleep—and waking up—at the same time, every day. I need a good night’s sleep, much more than most people do.”

Robbie sat down on the bed and blew out a breath.

“Well. MY mind has been blown," Robbie said, rubbing his eyes, "What ELSE are you hiding from me?"

“Probably a lot!” Sportacus laughed. "We have never taken the time to just _ talk  _ before."

Robbie turned to look at him, considering his words. “I suppose you’re right, Sportanoodle.”

“That is an advantage of being friends,” Sportacus smiled, slipping into bed, “We can find out things about the other person that we-” he paused for a yawn, “-never knew before.”

"W-well, if we're  _ sharing _ ,” Robbie said,as he slid underneath the covers as well, “I...I have pretty bad  _ insomnia _ , which-which is the OPPOSITE of you, I guess, and, uh...my favorite color is orange. Like this pillow, you see, a-and my favorite chair.”

He rubbed his face into the orange fibers of the pillow he had brought. “They’re made from the same fabric, you know. VERY soft. Feel it.” 

Sportacus reached out and ran his hand through the fibers, making a pleased noise on contact. Of course, he had SEEN Robbie’s favorite chair before, but he had never gotten a chance to touch it, and he suddenly realized why Robbie preferred it to a bed. This fuzzy orange fabric was  _ soft, _ much softer than expected, and had a nice texture that felt good on his skin--like hair, without the itch. 

The calm moment pushed fatigue more insistently upon him, and he yawned wide.

"One more thing, Robbie,” Sportacus said, withdrawing his hand, ‘I usually...sleep on my back. Would you...still have enough room, if I did?"

"Hrm, let me just-" Robbie wiggled around, his body creating waves underneath the white duvet, as he rolled to his side, "Yeahp. All good here."

Almost as an afterthought, Robbie slung an arm across Sportacus’ chest, who exhaled softly.

"You know, I can see why elves  _ do _ this all the time," Robbie said, "Its...nice."

"Thought you hated nice," Sportacus mumbled.

"W-well-not-not EVERYTHING nice," Robbie murmured quietly.

Sportacus didn't respond. He was too far gone, slipping quickly into sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus IS narcoleptic and you WILL NOT change my mind, ever. Shoutout to Fresco for bringing it to my attention, shoutout to my best friend IRL for basically informing how i write that HC. And yes, it's another fluffy chapter, sue me, i need a little light friendly banter in my life right now...shit gets a little heavier in the next chapter so, enjoy until I finish that one.
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter done! I've never written a major story from Sportacus' POV before, and I guess it took me 3 years to finally do it! I kind of miss writing Robbie already, but Sportacus is super fun anyway so I'm happy to do it.
> 
> Anyway. I've got some good omens stuff planned up next, maybe the first chapter of the iCarly AU, I will keep you posted. Thanks, as always, for reading!


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